5 Twitter Strategies for Mortgage and Industry Professionals

January 25th, 2018

Twitter is a social media tool that can help raise your professional profile and draw people to your business. Getting started on Twitter is easy, but you need to be strategic in how you use it and also know that tweeting about a single topic may not be the best strategy.

Twitter is inherently quick, so setting up an account is simple. You’ll need to upload a headshot and background picture, and also enter your location and a quick description of who you are and what you do. The basics of what’s what on Twitter are important, and you can learn more about tweets, hashtags and handles on Twitter’s online business introduction page.

Once you understand the basics, it’s time to think about strategy. Here are five tips when looking to create or improve their Twitter presence.

Tweet about things that matter to your audienceIf you want people to follow you, you need to provide something of interest to them. This can be housing news that’s pertinent to prospective buyers, your thoughts on the industry or sharing positive experiences. Hootsuite’s Sarah Dawley says being credible and trustworthy is a key to success for professionals, who need to provide value in their tweets. “Tweets that help improve people’s lives, challenge perceptions, and display expertise will help attract new followers who are looking for guidance on Twitter,” she says.

See what’s out there
It’s easy to read a bunch of articles on how to use Twitter, but it’s difficult to integrate those ideas if you don’t know how other industry professionals are using it. You may notice, for example, that there are some who use Twitter solely as a place to broadcast listings or mortgage rates, rather than to connect with potential clients or establish themselves as leaders.

Tell people you’re on Twitter
For your tweets to show up in other people’s Twitter feeds, you need to have followers. Include a link to your Twitter account in your email signature, as well as on your website, other social media accounts and any other marketing materials.

Work at getting new followers
Follow other professionals in the industry, plus community leaders and businesses in the places you do sales, as well as journalists who report on housing. Some of them might follow you back. “Like” other relevant tweets by clicking on the heart-shaped icon below the tweet, and retweet by clicking on the circular arrows. You can also reply to anyone’s tweet and add your own ideas (see tip No. 5). When you do this, the other user is much more likely to return the favour.

Add your thoughts when you retweet
When you retweet, you want to add value to the conversation, says Laura Fitton, a marketing expert with HubSpot. In other words, after you hit the retweet button, add a small comment, question or idea about the first tweet. In the best-case scenario, this will encourage one of your followers or the original tweeter to reply to your retweet with other ideas. Fitton, who co-wrote Twitter for Dummies, also notes that it’s important for users to “add their own voice about why they’re sharing that Tweet.”

Important takeaway: Tweets need to be enticing and original to stand out in a person’s feed. Twitter is about establishing your professional identity and sharing ideas.